Abstract
Large-scale irrigation projects are theoretically beneficial; however there are examples of outstanding failures which partly led to ecological catastrophes. We think that irrigation per se does not necessarily lead to land degradation. Even in the famous case of the Mesopotamian plains, the idea that ancient Sumerian irrigation caused irreversible salinization [1] is far less evident than often assumed in the public discussion [2].
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References
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Nikolskii, I., Lucke, B., Helbron, H., Palekhov, D. (2010). The Socio-Economic Framework: What Can be Learned from Earlier Failures?. In: Issar, A. (eds) Progressive Development. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10640-8_18
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-10640-8_18
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